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Table & Vine Wines

Yes, I am busy. Insanely so. Work is as crazy as it has ever been without actually being in trial--litigating all kinds of cases short of trial, so spending waaay too much time in court, then catching up at my desk, and doing a patchwork job of that. We're managing the construction project, finding places to live, packing things up so we can ...
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Much has been made of China's emergence into the wine world, particularly in light of recent reports from the International Organisation for Vine and Wine in which numbers indicate the country grows more grapes (table and wine) than any other country in the world. Part of the Chinese success, a recent story by CBS News noted, may be their insat...
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Greg, don't even read this!Yesterday I hosted a pinot noir event. It was a blind tasting of three BC and one California. Talk about getting out of the box. For me this is tantamount to cross-dressing. It started because Chester introduced me to the Kettle Valley "Hayman" reserve Pinot last year. I really liked it, so when I found one (83 ca...
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Over the years, multiple varieties have made the news for one reason or another. Some, like Gewurztraminer, suffer from difficult to pronounce names. Others suffer from identity challenges. Chardonnay anyone? Still more are actually difficult to get to a bottle in once piece without the high involvement of the dedicated growers to make quality w...
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Day 2 update:I think the biggest takeaway from this trip is going to be...It really AIN’T all about the Zin!In fact, Zin biggots (like you, EMark) are welcome here with opened arms. While Zin is Lodi’s flagship wine, it is not by any means the only grape upon which the region hangs its hat. I’m sure many of you who’ve had a chance to visit or ta...
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Hi everyone, This thread is dedicated to your thoughts about the wines of Lodi, more specifically for those who attend next week's virtual tasting. Here is a link to the virtual tasting page:http://www.snooth.com/virtual-tasting/video/lodi-presents-1/The tasting will take place next Wednesday, June 3rd, at 8:30pm Eastern/5:30pm Pacific. ...
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Dude, I went to Holdredge expecting that you would be pouring! Plus the last time I called you had to work. Anyway, I passed along your regards (and Mike Talty's) to Carrie. I'll have another two bottles there for you to pick up for me if you ever make it over that way. I love W. Sonoma, it's just so incestuous.Seriously, friends of ours had t...
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When in doubt, fruit it out. A recent story by Malay Mail Online revealed that Japanese winemakers from Yamanashi Prefecture are turning to koshu, a fruity wine with a “delicate bouquet” to boost their sales and build the reputation of the region. “Koshu has a charm that overseas wines don't have,” winemaker Ayana Misawa told Malay Mail. “Its sp...
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It always seemed odd to us that in Piemonte, the land of Barolo, the King of Wines and the Wine of Kings, we would always find a bottle of Barbera in front of us on the table. The answer was and is simple: Barbera is bountiful, versatile, delicious and moderate in price. The Piemontesi drink more reds than whites and almost 50% of the reds that ...
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Some California vineyards may need the assistance of the Road Runner in the near future. This past month several news outlets covered the conscienceless dealings of California coyotes as they chewed, dug and rough-housed their way through vineyards. “They're the top dog in California, totaling between 1.5 and 3 million,” Fresno County Department...
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